Accordion



Patented Oct. 25, 1938 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE Application March 18,

4. Claims.

This invention relates to accordions, and particularly to piano type accordions, wherein the tonal reed valves are operated by banks of keys akin to the regular piano keyboard, the bank of 5 white keys operating the major scale valves and the lack keys operating the minor scale valves. In such piano accordion it is possible to play a fast run of successive major scale tones by running the fingers pressingly and without striking over the bank of white keys from left to right, but it is not possible to similarly play a run of chromatic scale tones, for the reason that the black minor keys are situated rearwardly and are disposed in elevated protrudence above the white keys.

The principal object of the invention is to provide a piano accordion with means wherewith the musician may be enabled to play a run of chromatic scale tones as conveniently and efficiently as it was heretofore possible to play a fast run of major scale tones on such instrument.

Other objects and advantages will hereinafter appear.

In the accompanying drawing,-

Fig. l is a perspective view showing a fragmentary portion of a piano accordion equipped with the improvements of this invention.

Fig. 2 is a transverse-sectional side elevation of a piano accordion of the invention.

The accordion l comprises bellows 2, a partition 3, a set of reed boxes 4 with reeds 5 for the major scale tones carried by said partition, a set of reed boxes 6 with reeds l for the minor scale tones similarly carried by the partition, outlets 8 in partition 3 for said boxes, valves 9, ID, for said outlets, a bank of white piano keys ll fulcrumed at l2 in a framing l3 for operating the valves 9, and a bank of black keys [4, similarly fulcrumed at 15 for operating the valves l0. Each of the white keys ll operates its valve 9 by an arm l6 thereof being joined to said valve, and each of the black keys l5 similarly operates its valve by an arm I! thereof being joined to the latter. Springs l8 bearing upon said keys and the framing 13 press the keys H, 14 upwardly to normally maintain the valves 9, ill in the closed state shown, while pressing downwardly upon said keys opens the valves for production of the tones.

Underneath the banks of keys ll, [4 is located a series of plungeable rods l9 mounted and longitudinally slidable in guiding bearings 20 depending from the framing 13. Each rod I9 is provided at its forward terminal with a finger-piece 1937, Serial No. 131,621

26 constituting a playing key, and carries at its opposite terminal a flange 22, collars 23 secured to rod i9 normally abutting against the bearings all to limit the outward movement of the rod as viewed in the drawing. For each of the plungers i9 there is provided a lever 24 fulcrumed at 25 to a post 26 fixed to partition 3. The forward terminal 21 of lever 24 abuts against the plungerflange 22, while its opposite terminal 28 abuts either against an arm I! of a valve in or an arm it of a valve 9, according to whether conjoint operation is required from key 2! of a valve I0 or a valve 9, the finger pressure upon said key in this manner causing its rod 19 and flange 22 to swing the lever 24, and to press upwardly upon arm ll or US to open its corresponding valve S0 or 9.

There is thus provided a key 2 l, with its above described operating parts It, 24, for each of the white keys ll of the major scale as well as for each of the black keys M of the minor scale, and the keys 2| are arranged successively in the chromatic scale order, in convenient relation to the musicians fingers, as illustrated in Fig. 1. The musician is therefore enabled to run his fingers pressingly and without striking over this third bank of keys 2 1, toward the right or toward the left, and thereby perform a fast run of chromatic scale tones, for producing desired musical effects.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An accordion having the combination of a set of major scale reeds, a set of minor scale 5 reeds, valves for said reeds, a bank of piano keys for said major scale reed valves, another bank of piano keys for said minor scale reed valves, a bar joining each of said keys with its respective valve, a longitudinally movable plunger rod for each of said keys located underneath it and parallel thereto, said rod being mounted in guiding means therefor, the operative forward terminal of said rod carrying a finger piece located at the forward terminal of its related major scale key, said finger pieces being arranged in chromatic scale order, and means to transmit the movement of said rod to the bar of its respective key.

2. An accordion having the combination of a set of major scale reeds, a set of minor scale reeds, valves for said reeds, a bank of piano keys for said major scale reed valves, another bank of piano keys for said minor scale reed valves, a bar joining each of said keys with its respective valve, a longitudinally movable plunger rod underneath each of said keys and disposed parallel thereto, means for mounting and guiding said rod, a finger piece carried by the operative forward terminal of said rod being situated at the frontal terminal of its related major scale key, said finger pieces being arranged in chromatic scale order, and a lever transmitting the movement of each of said rods to the bar of its respective key.

3. An accordion having the combination of a set of major scale reeds, a set of minor scale reeds, valves for said reeds, a bank of piano keys for said major scale reed valves, another bank of piano keys for said minor scale reed valves, means joining each of said keys with its respective valve, a longitudinally movable plunger rod underneath each of said keys disposed parallel thereto, means for mounting and guiding said rod, a finger piece carried by the operative frontal terminal of said rod being disposed at the frontal terminal of its related major scale key, said rods and finger pieces being arranged in chromatic scale order, and means transmitting the movement of each of said rods to its respective valve.

4. An accordion having the combination of a set of major scale reeds, a set of minor scale reeds, valves for said reeds, a bank of piano keys for said major scale reed valves, another bank of piano keys for said minor scale reed valves, means joining each of said keys with its respective valve, a longitudinally movable plunger rod underneath each of said keys disposed parallel thereto, means for mounting and guiding said rod, the operative frontal terminal of said rod being disposed at the frontal terminal of its related major scale key, said rods being arranged in chromatic scale order, and means transmitting the movement of each of said rods to its respective valve.

ERMOLY DEMIANENKO. 

